Relaxed Performance of Boy at the Almeida Theatre

A Relaxed Performance of BOY, a new play by Leo Butler, directed by Sacha Wares, will take place at the Almeida Theatre on Wednesday 11 May at 1.30pm. All tickets will be £10; tickets for companions and support workers are free.

Relaxed Performances are specifically designed to welcome people who will benefit from a more relaxed performance environment, including people with an Autism Spectrum Condition, sensory and communication disorders, or a learning disability. People have the freedom to come and go as necessary, and a chill-out area is provided for those who need a quiet space. There is a relaxed attitude to noise and movement and some small changes are made to light and sound effects.

To help the audience prepare for their visit a Visual Story will be distributed with photographs of the Almeida building and auditorium, the set, and the characters in Boy. The audience will have the opportunity to attend a familiarization visit at the theatre before the performance, and to meet the cast on the day. The Almeida Participation team are offering specialist workshops to give groups the chance to explore themes from Boy in a creative, open environment.

A boy.At a bus stop.Easily missed.

Master of observation, Leo Butler casts a sharp eye over contemporary London and picks out someone for us to follow. Someone easily missed amongst the crowd. Leo Butler has quietly established himself as one of the UK’s most talented political playwrights. Boy is an important new play about coming of age in twenty first century London.

Following last year’s ground breaking production of Game the innovative director-designer team Sacha Wares and Miriam Buether return to the Almeida to bring this ambitious exploration of austerity era London to life. They are joined by an award-winning creative team and an exciting company of young actors, as well as supernumeraries recruited from the borough of Islington. For many of the cast BOY will mark their stage debut.

For Boy, Sacha Wares is joined by a formidable creative team, including two powerhouse contemporary designers, Miriam Buether for set design (Game, Wild Swans, Sucker Punch, My Child, Generations), and Ultz for costume (Jerusalem, Hobson’s Choice, Fallout, Pied Piper), who will be collaborating with each other for the first time. Further creative credits include movement by Leon Baugh, lighting by Jack Knowles and sound by Gareth Fry.

Boy has a running time of approximately 80 minutes with an age guidance of 14+.

Following Boy, a Relaxed Performance of THEY DRINK IT IN THE CONGO, a new play by Adam Brace, directed by Michael Longhurst, will take place on Wednesday 21 September at 1.30pm.